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wolfeyedwitch · 2 years

Note

🙃 & ☺️ for Bailey?

Auction of Evil, Part 3

🙃 - Someone to share their suffering with

☺️ - Soft words of reassurance

Whumptober alt 3: Dazed and Confused

Have some Bailey and Zera bonding after being sold off in the auction of evil!

CW: miscommunications, discussion of using them as leverage for the other, Bailey's crappy headspace. I think that's it? Let me know if I missed anything, or if you'd like to be added to the taglist!

Masterlist

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Zera’s head felt like a malfunctioning computer that someone was attempting percussive maintenance on: nothing worked, and everything hurt. The space behind their eyes throbbed, the hurt so big it seemed like it would push the orbs out of socket at any moment.

They closed their eyes and managed a weak groan.

“Wha…” They stopped, swallowed past the cotton-dry feeling in their mouth, and tried again. “Wha’ hap’nd?” they managed to slur out on this attempt.

Poppet stared at them, eyes filled with guilt and concern. “Don’t try to sit up, it’s just gonna make your headache worse,” they said. “Hang on, let me…”

They grabbed something by their side, then carefully scooted closer.

“Sorry, I know I’m probably the last person you want helping you,” they said softly. “But you need water, and right now you’d probably just spill it on your own.”

Zera hummed a little ‘it’s fine’ kind of noise, hoping that the point got across.

Poppet seemed to interpret the noise differently than Zera intended, because they sounded even more guilt-stricken when they spoke again.

“Yeah, sorry,” Poppet said. “I know. Villain, hero, nemeses. You have no reason to trust me. But I’m not trying to make this worse, I promise. I’m trying to help.”

Zera looked at them in confusion. The way they had to crane their head made Poppet appear upside-down in their field of vision. The thin skin beneath Poppet’s big blue eyes was stained a dark purple from lack of sleep, trauma, or both.

“Yeah,” they croaked out. “I believe you. ‘S fine.”

Poppet’s expression bloomed into something vulnerable, all wide eyes and raised eyebrows and slightly parted lips. It might have been disbelief, or incredulity, or maybe something like hope. Zera was in no state to interpret it.

The moment passed, and the villain looked down and away. “You need water,” they said. “Is it okay if I prop you up against my leg to make it easier?”

Zera rasped out a yeah, not willing to risk another nonverbal miscommunication.

Poppet gently maneuvered them so their head was propped against Poppet’s thigh. Then they lifted a cup of water to Zera’s lips, helping the hero take tiny sips at a time.

The water was lukewarm and tasted metallic. Zera was too thirsty to care. Slowly, their mouth stopped feeling like they tried to swallow a bag of cotton balls, and the ache in their head shrank enough to allow other thoughts to trickle in.

“Thanks,” Zera said.

Poppet shrugged and shifted uncomfortably. “It’s the least I can do.”

Zera didn’t know what to make of this. Poppet’s reactions, as well as the auction itself, didn’t make sense. They were missing something, some critical center piece of this puzzle that would make it all fit together properly.

For now, they didn’t even know enough to ask the right questions. Figuring out that particular mystery would have to wait.

“What happened?” they asked.

Poppet flinched. The movement was small, but Zera still noticed. Another puzzle piece to add to the pile.

“You, um,” Poppet started, then paused to bite their cheek. Finally they continued, “You were scoping out the auction, I’m guessing? And Viper found you, drugged you, brought you to the stage.”

“I remember that much,” Zera said wryly. “Slipknot said…”

Ugh, what was it? It was fuzzy, like the thoughts you have when trying to fall asleep. They frowned.

“They threw you in as a bonus lot, basically,” Poppet said quietly.

“Ugh,” Zera said with feeling. “Who bought us?”

Poppet bit their cheek again.

Zera twisted so they were facing their cellmate, rather than looking up at them. They couldn’t be sure they were reading the expression correctly upside down. But now that they were seeing it right-side up? Poppet looked… guilty.

“Poppet,” Zera said, trying their best to channel Elijah’s don’t-argue-with-me tone. “Who bought us?”

The villain’s expression collapsed in on itself. “I don’t know,” they admitted, tone barely above a whisper.

“You don’t know?!” Zera repeated incredulously. “How can you not know! Were you not paying attention to who was going to buy you!?”

This time, Poppet’s flinch was far less subtle. “I’m sorry,” they said. They sounded like they wanted to beg for mercy but knew it wouldn’t come.

Zera groaned and rubbed weakly at their eyes. Getting worked up wasn’t getting them answers; all it was doing was making their headache come back.

“No, I- ugh. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have gotten mad,” Zera said. “I just… Can you help me understand? Please? It didn’t seem like they were planning to take you off-stage, so I’m just… confused.”

There was a long pause.

“You weren’t breathing,” Poppet said, like they were confessing a sin.

“What?”

“You… After they got you on-stage, after you passed out. I think you must have reacted badly? To Viper’s drugs? You stopped breathing. You were turning blue,” Poppet said.

Zera winced at the thought. They knew, from Maeve and their own studies, that breathing issues were a potential complication of sedation. They’d just never thought about that in terms of Viper’s poisons.

“Okay…” they said slowly, thinking it through. “But I don’t understand how that connects.”

Poppet looked like they were holding back tears at this point. They took a deep breath before speaking again. “I told Slipknot about it, but they didn’t, wouldn’t, do anything. They were, um. Not happy, that I interrupted them.”

Their fingers went to their throat. It made Zera notice something they hadn’t before: a slim metal band encircling the villain’s neck.

Was that a shock collar?

“They didn’t do anything, but…” Poppet sniffed hard. “They let me.”

“Let you what?” Zera asked, unsure that they really wanted to know the answer.

“Help you,” Poppet answered, sounding like they were admitting a crime rather than saying how they’d potentially saved Zera’s life. “I don’t know who bought us because I wasn’t paying attention to the bidders. I was paying more attention to making sure you got oxygen.”

Zera stared, incredulous, at Poppet for a long, tense moment. That was… Why was Poppet talking like this was a horrible mistake they’d made? Like Zera would be furious for it? They’d saved Zera’s life!

“Thank you,” they said, trying to put all their feelings into the simple words.

Poppet shook their head hard enough to give Zera a vicarious headache. “You don’t get it,” they said, angry and miserable in equal measure. “This isn’t— I fucked up, okay? That’s the whole reason I’m in this mess in the first place! This is my punishment, and now I’ve gone and dragged you into it too!”

Zera put a hand on their arm. “Woah, calm down. What do you mean?”

“I—” They cut off abruptly and looked away, biting their cheek hard. “I wasn’t fighting you hard enough. That’s why Slipknot organized the auction.”

Zera smiled. “I knew it. I’m good, but not that good.”

Poppet’s eyes flicked back to Zera, and they gave a little smile too. “You are good.” The smile disappeared as they continued. “But now? I really fucked up, Foxfire.”

“How?”

“I let an entire audience of villains know that I care about you,” they confessed. “That I care if you get hurt, if you live or die. That’s… This isn’t a good thing. Whoever bought us? They were already gonna do whatever it took to get me to do their dirty work. I just handed them another tool.”

They looked pointedly at Zera’s neck. Zera raised a hand to find another collar there, presumably the same as the one Poppet was wearing.

“Shock collar?” they asked.

Poppet nodded miserably. “You may have already been in this mess, but my actions dragged you down a lot deeper.” They paused to sniff again. “You should port out of here. First chance you get? Run, and don’t look back.

“But,” Zera said, thinking about how Poppet insinuated their captors would hurt Zera to motivate them, “wouldn’t they hurt you if I did?”

They shrugged and looked away. “Doesn’t matter. I’ve already fucked up my own life; don’t let me fuck yours up, too.”

Nope. No, that was absolutely not going to work. Zera couldn’t let that stand.

They gently squeezed Poppet’s arm. “Hey. Look at me?”

Reluctantly, Poppet did.

“Thanks,” Zera said with a smile. “Firstly? Thank you, for saving my life. Whatever consequences come from that? Those are not your fault. That blame is squarely on anyone who would use someone’s decency against them. Caring about someone isn’t a fuck-up. And I’m a little biased here, but I’m really fucking grateful that you were brave enough to do that.”

“Do what?” Poppet asked quietly.

“Stand up to your mentor like that,” Zera replied. “It sounds like they’re, uh, not the easiest person to say no to.”

Poppet gave a laugh that was two-thirds sob. “No, they’re really, really not.”

Zera gave a wry smile. “Yeah. And as for me porting out if I get a chance? Not just no, but hell no.”

“What?”

“I’m not going to just leave you here to deal with the consequences of that!” Zera laughed incredulously. “That’d be a seriously dick move!”

Poppet frowned and shook their head. “But I—”

“Nope,” Zera cut them off. “No saying it doesn’t matter. It does. You matter, Poppet.”

Their eyes went all misty at that. Shit. How long had it been since someone had shown them even a scrap of kindness?

“I… I’m not sure I believe you,” they said hoarsely. “But. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” Zera said, managing a weak grin. “Besides. My team will find us before too long. We just have to keep from dying of boredom until then.”

They knew damn well they’d have other things to worry about besides boredom, but the point of this was to make Poppet feel better, not worse.

Poppet nodded hesitantly. “Yeah. Your team will get you.”

“Get us,” Zera corrected. “I’m not going to leave you behind.”

“Right.” Poppet looked down, avoiding Zera’s gaze. “When they get us… I know you’re heroes, and that you— that there are things you do, with villains you capture. I understand that. I’m not trying to get out of that. Just… can you make it fast?”

Zera nodded. After-mission debriefs were always tough. Combine that with the interrogation that Poppet had coming, and Zera definitely understood the desire to get it over with quickly.

“Of course, yeah. I’ll make sure it’s as painless as possible.”

Poppet sighed in relief, suddenly looking very, very tired. “Thank you.”

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Taglist:

@heathenville @nonbinary-disaster @kim-poce @whump-world @dolls-circus @pickleking8 @ghostfacepepper @cupcakes-and-pain @badluck990 @mylifeisonthebookshelf @pumpkin-spice-whump @deluxewhump @extemporary-whump @whumpwillow @multiple-characters1-acct @sunflower1000 @fleur-alise @equestrianwritingsstuff @scp-1296 @livingforthewhump @thingsthatgo-whump-inthenight @suspicious-whumping-egg @kaiwewi @lelly-belly @neuro-whump @newbornwhumperfly @whumpthisway @whumpcreations @wicked-whump @heart4brains @myhusbandsasemni @how-to-be-a-hero @kixngiggles @kurochan @whumpsday @extrabitterbrain @pattonvirglsanders @neverthelass @we-write-as-one @elrysdoesstuff @whumperflies-and-roses @ha-ha-one @whatwhumpcomments @ramadiiiisme @towerlesskey @emmanemanemm @pigeonwhumps @whumpycries

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lilcomfortwriting · 2 years

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It’s Haechan okay?

Glitch mode has broken records, making the dreamies happy and excited for this new comeback. However, Jisungie has noticed Mark and haechan don't talk behind cameras. The older also stayed more inside his room, and that other time jisung asked to play with Hyuck, he refused. His methods appeared different too, and there was something that made Jisungie worry for his Hyung. But no one else seems to notice this but him. Surely that means that maybe he is overthinking it, and Haechan is okay?

(or, Haechan tangle into some seriously awful shit, and dreamies don't know about it)

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justmetalkingshitnobodycaresabt · 2 years

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Sooo my boy best friend was hugging me and then he was like : in near future im doing this to *CRUSH NAME*and then he was like starting to do kiss sounds and i was like wtf and laughing. 3 girls were watching us and were starting to "awww".And i think my crush was watcging too and nobody knows what my best friend said to me. I am kindaaaa worried now. Like i love hugging and he was also like wtf cant we even hug and stuff. But my crushhhh we like always had eyecontact all the time now he didnt even look once after that i-

@heythisismyblogg

#fck my life #so many misunderstandings #I NEED ADVICE

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ashwatchedeverygayshows · 2 years

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Rly emotional after finishing Killing Stalking

#I’m sad #but also happy #they ended up together again #so many misunderstandings #I just wanna cry #I am crying rn #killing stalking #ks

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puppetmaster13u · 2 months

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Prompt 277

Danny would be pouting, but this? This is actually kind of hilarious. He’d be laughing his ass off if he could, but allows himself to shriek excitedly around the binky in his mouth. Jordan on the other hand has no such thing stopping him, letting out his own toddler cackle as something bursts into flames.

Their current caretaker- Clockwork’s nephew apparently, who is on babysitting duty for the next couple of decades- coos, and then they’re off again. Someone had apparently wanted their sort-of-Fraid-member to go to a meeting despite him informing them he’d be unavailable.

So of course he- and the three of them and Ms. Teekl the cat- just had to set the whole place on fire. You honestly can’t be that rude! It’s like, not exactly maternity leave, but something similar- don’t make fun of him he’s stuck with a toddler-brain right now!

(All three of them would’ve had completely toddler minds if not for the fact that they were partially made from ectoplasm)

Really, it was perfectly normal for them to set the building aflame and disappear into another dimension, even if maybe not for humans. Everyone knew you didn’t try to mess with a nesting Realms being! Especially if they weren’t fully Fraid yet. Honestly it’s all the idiots’ fault.

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bj-cuntycunt · 6 days

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New Star Trek headcanon: Chekov thinks McCoy is from Georgia (country) and not Georgia (USA) and keeps calling him "neighbor" because Russia's next to Georgia. McCoy is very confused.

#chekov thinks his accent is from watching movies or something #uhura knows about the misunderstanding but doesn't do anything because it's funny #star trek #star trek tos #pavel chekov #leonard mccoy #bones mccoy #leonard bones mccoy #i always hate writing tags for mccoy like why does he have so many names and which ones do i use #star trek shitposting

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dclovesdanny · 2 days

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Dcxdp prompt

I don’t see enough angst to do with Bruce, so here’s my idea.

The world is ending, and all of Bruce’s kids have been hurt in someway. Bruce is running out of options, so he said to call his final contingency plan into place.

He messages the family group chat, telling them that he loves them and is proud of them. Immediately they all start freaking out, and they have Barbara connect them onto a FaceTime with. They’re the only ones who can see what’s going on.

Bruce made a summoning circle. He transferred a few moments before that none of them can really describe appears in the circle. Later on, they all describe him differently. Damien calls him an older man older than Alfred while Tim insists he looks around Bruce’s age. Jason says that he looked older than Bruce, but younger than Alfred and Dick says they looked around his age.

The being looks at Bruce for a moment and ask him in a voice that sounded simply Eldritch

“I assume you wish to make a deal. You know what you must do if I agreed to do anything.’

Bruce nods and grunts.

The being smiles.

“Very well, I will deal with your problem. If you agree to the terms I set so long ago. Do you remember?’

Bruce grunts before saying

“My children are hurt. I want you to heal them too.’

The being laughs,

“why certainly, but you know, that means the deal be a little steeper.”

Bruce nods and takes the outstretched hand. A Crack rings through the air and the video shorts out, becoming only static. By the time they get to the Batcave, the danger is gone, their injuries are healed and Bruce is nowhere to be seen.

Meanwhile, Bruce met clockwork back when he was a teenager. He was a friend of Alfred, and they had a deal where Bruce would babysit clockwork kids or help him in the tower in exchange for Clockwork’s advice and help with tasks. Bruce figured out that clockwork was not human and was a very Eldritcg, but Alfred trusted him so so did Bruce. However, Bruce had been very busy since he adopted the kids and hadn’t made many deals in a while. However, this was important, so he didn’t mind babysitting for a while. there were more kids than usual, though.

#misunderstanding #dc x dp #dcxdp #dad clockwork #clockwork adopted Dani Dan and Danny #I’m also enjoying the image of teen Bruce watching a younger ghost #maybe Youngblood?#the bat kids are loosing it #protective batfamily #the Justice league doesn’t know why it stopped until Nightwing tells them #they don’t know who clockwork is #protective justice league #Half of the fic should be the JL and batkids struggling with their emotions towards Bruce #and the other half is Bruce watching over the kids #so many thoughts #not enough energy to write them #angst #chaos and angst

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ghost-bxrd · 15 days

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Tim can’t breathe. He can’t breathe.

He thought— the Tower was bad enough. He hates being kept out of the loop, especially for “his own protection”, but he never thought—

It is Robin who had been threatened. Robin that Batman had been taunted with. Enough times, and with grisly enough descriptions of what might happen to him, that Bruce sent Tim to the Titans as a last ditch effort to keep him well out of reach of Gotham and its newly minted crime lord.

But Hood took Bernard, and Tim can’t breathe. Can only stare at the grainy picture from an unknown number, showing his boyfriend tied up and gagged in someone’s— Hood’s, probably, oh god— bed.

Tim wants to throw up.

Please god, please no.

— sneak peek of “Modern Day Cain”

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trappednyourheart · 25 days

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Dan got stuck...on a universe..again

( he swears it's happening on purpose and the Old Clock has something to do with this-)

Dan...was stuck- Like stuck in a universe.

He can't create a portal, he can't go to this universe history of timelines and he can't meddle anything, he doesn't like this and neither this universe spirit acknowledging his presence in this world.

Ok good news and bad news

Good news, Clockwork and Danny is already been informed and been trying to find ways to help him out to settle in this universe and found a way to get him out of here.

Bad news, it might take long- and he has to settl-settle... Here in this universe which it's spirit barely acknowledging him as a anomaly, and there's heros here...and some of them..just has problems which is relatable but...Dan is In form of a teenager...well like the empty clone Vlad made when he had been adopted by him..

Now he's been misidentified as some “Chaos lord” or “Witch boy” or “your still so young”

Hey! He never asked, and he's also been kinda adopted by this boy who's taller than him ( he's still at that age💀) with his cat name teekle.

#dcxdp #danny fenton #justice league #klarion #Klarion the witch boy #dc x dp #dcdp #dc x dp original #Klarion was intrigued by this small little boy who look like him and is feral as fu- 'meow' TEEKLE!#Dan is stuck in the DC universe and i just decided yeah this OP being is gonna have a vacay cause he deserves it...#Ghost writer is being chased cause he has the knowledge of the DC universe #Clockwork and Danny are freaking out but also not-#The JL and JLD are just well you know-#and The “Vigilantes and sidekicks’ are just thinkin ’Did klarion just give birth?’ ‘is this why he took a break for 9 months?’#the idea is there's no sense #So misunderstandings and barrier language #Dan is not speaking english #hes speaking The infinite realms Language.#so theres like a language barrier #and also how many times he did get stuck in a universe far much worse or complicated....he didn't stay long and had atleast got out sooner..

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profoundmakerdreamerss-blog · 2 months

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Tomarry AU time travel but with a twist

— where Tom and Harry are best friends but Harry ends up falling for Tom — and Tom? He rejects him. Because Tom isn't ready. Because he thinks relationships are a waste of time — and believes what he and Harry has is better. And, Harry? Though hurt, accepts his answer. Though there is some residual awkwardness — they go back to being friends.

But— now, Tom is more aware of Harry. Now, that he knows Harry is okay with having a romantic relationship with him, he starts noticing things that he hasn't before. He starts thinking about Harry more than he did before (which basically means he thought about him every second now, back then it was one thought per ten seconds but anyways—) and having realizations about himself that he has been ignoring before due to always thinking about the future. After all he is a busy man with a grand plan — he was just too busy to have time for something mundane like introspection, am I right?

Unfortunately, though before Tom could do something about his emotions derailing his plans — Harry dies. For him. To save him

Tom being Tom, through his all consuming grief and regrets — breaks time conventions to save Harry and ends up travelling back on the day Harry came to Hogwarts. And as Tom tries to make amends for his mistakes by trying to befriend Harry, who is the new transfer student earlier than before, he realizes how strange Harry used to be.

How he would act skittish around Tom or glare at him with so much hatred that would make him stumble. Because Harry never did that, or did he? That didn't matter though, because Tom would win him over anyways — because he is the one whom Harry loves loved. So, he is one who would end up winning him anyways — not Black or Longbottom for that matter.

So this au is basically time travelling harry and time travelling tom but both of them from different points of time, trying to do their best — trying to save the world (for Tom, it's Harry and is that my way of implying Harry was his world? Yes.)

#time travelling tomarry #both of them bring time traveller #being*#but with a twist LMAOOOOO #so basically Harry's trying to save the world #while being dumbfounded because why js baby Voldemort being SO NICE WITH HIM #to him*#what does he want with #Harry #what did harry do lmao #while Tom writing down in his diary of how Harry glared at him only 12 times and ran away from him only 5 times today #and that means theyre making a progress 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭#my god #misunderstandings #so MANY OF THEM #and drama #tomarry #harrymort #tom riddle #harry potter #oh yes Tom breaks Harry's past self's heart and then he dies 😭😭#my poor baby #but dw tom will make it better for harry #maybe harry will even get his memories back after they destroy the whole fucking timeline and slams it back together #into a pile of mashed potatoe

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iwasbored777 · 19 days

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I love how people who hate the idea of Gwen and Miles being together cuz they're interracial "couple" always forget that Miles is a child of interracial couple

#this is always so funny to me #gwiles #ghostflower #gwen stacy #spider woman #miles morales #spider man #spider gwen #ghost spider #why does gwen have so many names i have to put so many tags lol #Spiderverse #into the Spiderverse #across the spiderverse #beyond the spiderverse #spider man across the spider verse #spider man into the spider verse #spider man beyond the spider verse #btw don't misunderstand this post i'm not criticising other ships you know what i mean

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rochenn · 4 months

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hc that the Star Wars equivalent of the NATO alphabet is based on planet names. Alderaan, Bith, Coruscant, Duro etc. Would be pretty funny if clone wars era Republic forces refused to keep referencing secessionist planets in their alphabet (Raxus, Serenno, Umbara), while Separatist forces quickly swap Coruscant out for Christophsis.

So by the time of the Empire, you have a galaxy torn between spite-driven protocol differences and every now and then an Imperial officer gets fired for saying Raxus instead of Ryloth.

And no matter what changes happen to the alphabet over time, Alderaan stays in.

#star wars #headcanon #i love thinking about stuff like this. so many possible misunderstandings

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yuureitheghost · 5 months

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Watching Danny Phantom for the first time is such a trip, because you think you're in to watch Standard Cartoon With Cool Lore and then Danny gets arrested

#danny phantom #i'm on episode 9 of the first season #so many things i expected #danny getting arrested was not one of them #go to ghost jail for your ghost crimes #that's ignoring the fact that the episode starts with danny's mom threatening a divorce #was not expecting that #ghost jail was the icing on the cake though #(edit: just finished the episode the divorce was a misunderstanding)

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milkywayes · 6 months

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Thinking about Garrus again and how much I appreciate his character, his development, his search for perspective and how it shapes his relationship with Shepard.

He always wants to do the Right Thing, as in Achieve X Positive End Goal, but the way there is so murky to him. So tough to navigate, to visualize. He likes when it's clear and when it's simple, but it simply never fucking is, so he has to Think It Through. And he simply cannot trust anyone else to do the thinking for him. He can't trust them to value the Right Thing as much as he does. He can't trust them to want it as badly.

and then, ENTER SHEPARD STAGE LEFT, and finally he finds someone that he can trust. With all of it. He can Tell she wants it just as badly, but the difference is, she seems to also have an idea of how to get there.

I've seen people complain that he has no backbone and just agrees with whatever Shepard says, and it's like… they don't get it. He needs someone in his life who he can trust to think things through with him, to meet him where he's at and to engage in good faith. She is the Only person he would ever cede to, the only authority he'll accept, because she has proven herself to care just as much as he cares.

(As a side note, that's also how I view his infamous elevator talks. He's not approaching these conversations closed-mindedly even if his word choice is often lacking or people take offense to his straight-forwardness. As I said, the path is murky for him. He's asking because he genuinely wants to know. He's practically desperate for another point of view. He wants to understand.)

He's the only character who constantly asks Shepard for her opinion on things, on morality issues and approaches and how she'd navigate all the little pitfalls that line the road to Justice. And over the games he recognizes that even this lofty end goal is anything but simple, and it's shaped by how they get there. He doesn't talk these things through with her just to follow her direction like a soldier following orders. Him accepting her response, no matter what it is, is him respecting her so much and believing so much in her true desire for achieving Justice - it's not blanket agreeing with her.

This happens so often in ME3: he'll ask, and she'll respond, and he will accept her answer without judgement, but you never hear him say "you're so right, o my moral compass". He's just mapping the path that's ahead, and he takes her opinion as much into account as his own, but that doesn't mean that he doesn't have his own or that it always aligns with hers. He wants the full picture, and at that point, he is humble enough to know that his opinion is subjective, so he needs more points of view and more intel, and there is none that he values more than Shepard's.

But it's not all for himself. They're both stuck in the same, horrible situation. He's asking her, and in turn she has to think about it and really consider all the pitfalls he's already identified but isn't sure how to approach. He's a safe sounding board for her. They think it through together, her as this unstoppable force towards the Right Thing, him as the one in the sniper's perch who sights the path ahead and calls out to her when there's a wall before she can run head-first into it. In the end, they're two people united in their striving for the same thing, two halves of a well-oiled machine. No Shepard without Vakarian.

#mass effect #garrus vakarian #this applies in literally any context romance or no romance #but i'll tag it anyway #shakarian #fuck I'm just so obsessed with him.#so many people completely misunderstand where he's coming from #and it's a little sad but it's okay because at least Shepard gets it #she always gets him #who's mshep never heard of him btw #milky.txt

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iridescentmirrorsgenshin · 3 months

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This is an analysis of Kaveh and Alhaitham’s argument posted on the Port Ormos bulletin board!! Because it is crazy actually!!

I think this exchange of theirs out of the three posted throughout Sumeru is particularly interesting, and this is due Alhaitham openly expressing that Kaveh does not understand what Alhaitham is really trying to say to him: “I have never denied what you meant, but you don’t understand what I am saying to you at all.”

This exchange is relevant in various ways in exploring the motif of communication. As according to their usual rapport, the two disagree over their differing philosophies, as in sensibility versus rationality, however, Alhaitham’s particular concerns in Kaveh spending his money on “nonsense” highlights the underlying reason for this exchange. From this comment, the argument is recontextualised through Alhaitham’s intention for getting involved, as Kaveh prompts the workmen to take his money in order to help them out.

When Alhaitham states that this is a meaningless action due to the inevitability of people rising or falling on their own accord, rather than solely critiquing Kaveh’s “impulsiv[e]” altruism, as Kaveh interprets, Alhaitham is directly contradicting his own comment – as he is interfering on Kaveh’s decisions.

As concern is evidently the intention behind his interference, Kaveh cannot perceive this, and instead attempts to critique Alhaitham’s perspective in return, although Alhaitham states: “Make no mistake. I have never denied what you meant…” This response asserts that Alhaitham does not deny, but rather agrees with, Kaveh’s statement of “mutual assistance, fairness, and righteous anger” driving the world.

In lieu of this, rather than continuing the argument, Alhaitham claims that there is no point to it, as Kaveh does not understand what he is saying, as in, Kaveh does not understand that his intentions in interfering are out of concern. He follows this up, regardless, by criticising Kaveh’s handling of his budget, as, evidently, Kaveh has offered to give his own money to these workmen, and refuses to pay for Kaveh’s drinks for that month.

For Alhaitham, Kaveh’s lack of self-prioritisation leads him to impulsive altruistic acts which serve to jeopardise his own position, particularly regarding money. If Kaveh can afford to give away money, he can afford to pay his own tabs, is the takeaway from this exchange. Although, similarly to the exchange between them posted in Puspa’s Café, this applies to one particular month, insinuating that Alhaitham will continue to pay for next month’s tabs of his own accord.

The main argument, as well as the disagreement over the speaker of Kaveh’s quote, serves as a humorous exchange, but as a motif for communication it acquires a new meaning. The two hold perspectives which contrast the other which puts them on unequal footing, demonstrated within the argument over the speaker of Kaveh’s quote. Although it is not disclosed who is actually in the right, both are convinced of their respective viewpoint. There is an element missing here, a potential solution to this problem, and it lies within the idea of “correctness” established within A Parade of Providence.

The omission of there being an objective, correct answer to this particular debate serves as a parallel to their conflicting viewpoints, with the basis of their exchange being to “prove” to the other their “correctness” – here, it is in regard to Kaveh.

However, “correctness” being the basis of their exchange, and thus, relationship, is challenged with Alhaitham shutting down the initial debate due to Kaveh’s misunderstanding of his meaning. Correctness, then, and its importance, is called into question within this exchange, with Kaveh being the one to chase it; his last message being that he would “prove” himself to be right.

At the core of this bulletin board exchange is the idea that Alhaitham harbours an alternative ‘meaning’ than the one that Kaveh assigns to him: “… you don’t understand what I’m saying to you at all.” This is a meaning which Kaveh cannot perceive due to his current understanding of Alhaitham. This represents the standing of their current relationship, where Kaveh believes Alhaitham holds him in disdain, although this belief is incongruous with Alhaitham’s actions which show his care for Kaveh.

In these instances of communication through the Bulletin Boards, it is interesting to note that Kaveh is revealed to have been drunk and “scribbling” on these notice boards, and hopes that Alhaitham does not know.

Although this is a humorous detail, it adds another layer to the unreliability of their method of communication, as Kaveh has no recollection of these exchanges with Alhaitham, and therefore could not have properly interpreted Alhaitham due to an altered state of mind. It is uncertain whether Alhaitham is aware of Kaveh’s being drunk whilst responding to him, or whether he is believed to have been lucid, which creates another element of unreliability in their exchanges.

Alhaitham understands Kaveh’s thinking and the reasons for why he acts as he does, but he cannot articulate his concern in a way that Kaveh will understand, both out of Kaveh’s incapability of receiving goodwill, but also due to his logical manner of expression. Kaveh perceives Alhaitham’s concealed expressions of concern as personal gripes and criticisms of his beliefs, and therefore believes that their relationship is based on the scholarly principle of proving the validity of one’s philosophies.

The Port Ormos Bulletin Board reinforces the core essence of their relationship: Alhaitham is invested in a personal regard, whereas Kaveh cannot see this due to his perception of Alhaitham and Alhaitham’s inability to communicate in a way Kaveh would understand.

(Update: For more analyses like this, the essay this is taken from is now uploaded! It can be accessed here and here as as a pdf <3)

#i have analysed the other two bulletin exchanges as well!!#but this one has stood out to me the most ever since i read it #alhaitham has expressed to kaveh at least twice that kaveh misunderstands him #this occassion and in a parade of providence with: the issue we’re debating has long since moved on from whos right or wrong #or something of that accord #but will kaveh ever hear this if alhaitham doesnt express this in a way that cannot be misunderstood #also i love the incessant mention in all of the sumeru posts that alhaitham pays for kavehs tabs #not just his drinks but everything on a bill #and whenever they have a clash like this alhaitham drops a month and then picks up every other month #kaveh how are you seeing that he really doesnt have to do that #the line: you dont understand what im saying to you at all is so CRAZY to me and it HAUNTS me because isnt that it??#isnt that the core issue???? or one of them at least plsss they have so many #the essay editing is coming along!! thank you for your patience!! its the longest essay ive written :((#alhaitham #haikaveh #kaveh #kavetham #haikaveh meta

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